Airmen forming a detachment of C-17 crew management specialists have taken Spangdahlem AB, Germany, home to a new C-17 airlift unit, the 726th Air Mobility Squadron, into the world of one-stop en route mission planning—making airlift preparation go a lot faster. The seven airmen of Det. 5, 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, operating out of the base’s new airlift mobility control center, do everything for airlift crews from booking rooms for crew rest to providing intelligence and special tactics briefings, reports Air Force journalist Louis Arana-Barradas.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…